The Dark Battle
by Yami Asakura
Summary: What happens when you have a story mixed from different animes...? 8DDD My previous user on FanFic's actually EvangelistDarkness. Please note. This is a repost of a story on my previous account. I started over once more.
1. Chapter 1: The Introduction

The sky flashed with animosity as it lighted up with a strike of lightning. Thunder crashed and all animals quivered on their toes. They knew- they KNEW that legendary creatures were about to rise above ground, and walk this Earth. Great darkness engulfed the once blue skies, and a girl with black, flowy hair emerged from the stirring elements. She had wings which were as black as the darkened skies then, and the tattered clothes that she wore brought about fear within every living thing that she went past. Her blood red eyes looked through every single living soul. Her name was Evangeline D. Malia, and she was the Immortalis Malia, created to serve the Dark Lord- Elliotte, more commonly known as the Dark Reaper.

Another creature which rose after Evangeline was a guy who was tall with black hair and had the same pair of eyes as Evangeline- red and bloodshot. He, too had wings as black as the colourless universe and his tattered clothes fluttered in the raging wind. His name was Senkrad B. Live; he is the Death Synchronium. Evangeline and Senkrad both lived for the Dark Reaper and started walking in their lord's direction- the cursed sanctuary of the lost souls. For all three belong to the group called Dark Memories, or Rememberance.

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At the other end of the Earth, the skies rumbled but were as bright as the sun. Clouds gathered together, as though as waiting for an entrance of a certain creature, which was indeed happening. Light flashed out from among the clouds and shone out to every corner of the nearby lands. Appearing from the clouds was a girl with shimmering, golden hair that was of shoulder-length and fluttering in the blowing winds. She had pristine white wings and her eyes were of beautiful and unique sliver. Her bleach-coloured dress flew in the wind as she floated down from high above the clouds. Her name was Xino Nedli, the Golden Pheonix.

Behind her stood out a guy who was tall with light brownish hair that glittered in the sun. He was also given white, glorious wings and his eyes were as blue as the everlasting seas. His clothes ruffled within the strong winds as he flew down from that height. He was called the Sliver Knight, Revilis Cileg. He and Xino existed in the universe to dispel evil and make sure the Sacred Jewels are safe. They belong to Pristine Angels, or Sliver Light. And thus, our story begun with these characters and the Dark Battle has unfolded on the Earth! 


	2. Chapter 2: The Mission

"My Lord," Evangeline said in respect as she bowed down before Elliotte. Senkrad did the same, only with more familarity than Evangeline. Senkrad's ancestors knew Elliotte way before he was created and images of his Lord were etched in his mind. "Lord Elliotte, we are here to obey your orders." Senkrad said out, eyes shifting from Evangeline to his Lord. Evangeline kept her eyes locked on Elliotte, mesmerised by his overwhelming presence. Elliotte stared through both his Dark Angels and said with a commanding air around him, "We must infiltrate into the Human world and find the Sacred Jewels. With all 15 of them scattered around the town of Simei in Singapore, only after getting all 15 can i reveal my true strength and form."

Elliotte stopped, looked at Evangeline and Senkrad with a hypnotising gaze before he continued. "I need you two to pose as Humans and gather information about the Sacred Jewels. Only then you can find them. Be very careful, among the Humans are those who possess magical abilities, and there might be our enemies lurking around. Be wary of those you trust!" Evangeline and Senkrad both understood and nodded, as Elliotte opened a tele-portal. "Proceed to the Human world through this portal, and conceal everything that might seem abnormal to any human. Your eyes, hair has to be changed. Now GO!!" Senkrad bowed and entered the portal, disappearing. Evangeline stood there, glancing at Elliotte before entering the portal after Senkrad.

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In less than a moment, both the Dark Angels arrived in the quaint town of Simei, silent in the night. In their hands were contacts and hair dye, which appeared magically after going through the portal. Evangeline's contacts were dark brown and her dye was black. Senkrad on the other hand, had hazel contacts and brown dye. They were going to have different "parents" and would be staying in different homes. Fortunately they could communicate by mind. Evangeline started heading towards the direction of her new "home" when Senkrad suddenly grabbed her wrist. "Hey Evan, if you're gonna survive in this world, you better start changing your personality. Call me Krad, ok?" Senkrad winked at Evangeline. She was taken aback but understood, and she smiled back. Both the Dark Angels started heading seperate ways.

In the same town coincidentally, Xino and Revilis needed to get information about the Sacred Jewels that they had to guard to prevent their powers from disminishing. Once the Dark Reaper has all the Sacred Jewels, darkness will swarm the world and only dark power will reign. These two were the Light Angels, and their duties were clear to them. They started plodding towards their "house". The Dark and Light Angels were living in opposite sides of town, oblivious to the truth. 


	3. Chapter 3: School

"Evan... Evan? Where are you now?" Krad's voice rung through Evangeline's mind as she walked to her new school nearby. "I'm walking to school. " Evangeline thought back with her mind, as her school came into view- East Town Secondary School. "I'm being drived to school right now. See you there alright?" Krad's words floated through her head again. Evangeline didn't bother to mind-reply as she waited for the green man to appear to cross the road. Her hair in the Mortal world was now black as charcoal and her eyes were chocolatey-brown. Not only that, her entire demonour was different; yesterday the air around was full of Death, today she was surrounded with a unique glow. To survive in the Mortal world without being discovered of her true identity, her personality underwent a big change.

The green man flashed as Evangeline plodded across the road, her mind in deep thought. "How am i going to find the Sacred Jewels? What about my enemies?" she thought to herself, feeling unconfident with each step she took. She was afraid that she couldn't complete her mission - getting the Sacred Jewels. Just then, Evangeline, who was too deep in her thoughts, was oblivious to a car coming right towards her! The green man had already turned red, and when Evangeline realised that, it was too late. The car was coming at a rapid speed and it was unavoidable; unless she used her powers, in front of all the humans walking about. She struggled to make a choice which seemed impossible to decide at that moment, when a hand reached for her arm and pulled her to safety. The car zoomed past Evangeline and her savior.

"That was close! Are you alright?" Evangeline's savior looked at her and asked in concern. Evangeline nodded and gazed upon the face of her savior and remained silent. "May i ask for your name, miss? From your uniform it looks like we're from the same school. The name's Revilis." Revilis introduced himself with a smile on his face. Evangeline was taken aback slighty, but composed herself. "Thank you for saving me, but i have a feeling we'll see each other in school. There is no need for me to tell you my name now." she walked away immediately after saying. Revilis was stunned but amused at the personality of the girl that he just saved. He stood there and watched her entered the school when Xino came behind him. "Rev, let's go. We wouldn't wanna be late for 'school', would we?" Xino smiled as she dragged Revilis through the school gates. Revilis grinned to himself at the thought of 'that girl'. Revilis, along with Xino, had no idea that their enemies were within the town and the same school as them. The school bell rang...

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"Class! Today i would like to introduce to you four new classmates who have transferred over. We have Evangeline and Senkrad, Xino and Revilis!" the form teacher of the class 3-A announced. The whole class applauded as the foursome stepped into the classroom. Evangeline glanced at Revilis and having thought of Senkrad's advice of a personality change, she smiled at her new class. Revilis noticed Evangeline and grined to himself as Xino waved at her new classmates. Senkrad just flashed a smile. "We have 4 empty seats around here, you can just help yourselves to them!" the form teacher, Mr. Macpherson told the four. Upon hearing the teacher's words, Evangeline went for the seat at the back of the class, next to the window. Xino went to the one in front of the teacher's desk. Revilis sat ahead of Evangeline while Senkrad sat beside her. "Evangeline, is it?" Revilis asked, looking over his shoulder. Evangeline nodded as the teacher began his lessons, and she shushed Revilis up. Revilis turned to face the front with a smile of satisfaction on his face, having known the name. After class, Evangeline, Revilis, Senkrad and Xino were immediately surrounded by their new classmates and being questioned of their information. It wasn't soon before they each made new friends. When another teacher stepped into the class, everyone settled down. Hours passed and heavy, non-stop studying was going on; only after a bell sounded did classes and the studying stop for recess. Knowing it was recess time, Evangeline excused herself from her new friends and dragged Senkrad by hand to a secluded area near the school canteen. "I found some info about the Sacred Jewels." Evangeline said, releasing Senkrad's hand. Senkrad brightened up when hearing Evangeline's words. "Really? Great! Tell me about it; after 'school' finishes we'll go inform Elliotte." Evangeline nodded and started to talk about what she found. "I overheard my new friends saying that at night, in our school, there's a light shining at a single spot. One of them went closer to the school from her house to see clearer, and said it look something like a jewel." Senkrad shut his eyes and thought to himself. After which, he opened his eyes and told Evangeline ahout his comments. "We have to check it out anyway, no matter whether it seemed like a rumour or not." Evangeline remained silent, in agreement.

When recess was over, it was back to classes. Xino was very glad when school ended. "Boy, 'school' sure is tough! Classes and studying... Geez, to think we have to do this." She complained while playing with her long, golden hair. Revilis was the exact opposie and was enjoying every moment of 'school'. "I find this 'schooling' thing very fun though..." he said to Xino. "It seems interesting enough." Xino rolled her eyes upon hearing that and pulled Revilis out of the school gates and back to their "home". Evangeline and Senkrad went their separate ways "home" and agreed to meet in the cursed sanctuary of the lost souls at midnight, to report everything they knew to Elliotte. 


	4. Chapter 4: Guards

At the stroke of midnight, both the Dark Angels created mirror images of themselves to prevent their "parents" from finding them missing. Creating their own tele-portals, they entered it and met in the lost sanctuary, where their Lord, Elliotte was. Evangeline was the first to appear, followed by Senkrad. Both of them bowed down at the sight of Elliotte. He nodded, and the Dark Angels rose to their feet. "What news have the two of you got for me, knowing it's rare for you two to come here," Elliotte said calmly in a confident tone. Evangeline stepped forward. "My Lord, we have found information concerning something similar to the Sacred Jewels. Senkrad and i intend to find out whether it is true." She spoke fearlessly and smoothly, as she turned up to face Elliotte. He nodded in approval and opened a tele-portal. "Bring back news after that." Elliotte commanded. Bowing, Evangeline and Senkrad entered the portal and started their first ever search in the Human world.

Walking out of the portal, Evangeline and Senkrad found themselves at the gate of their school. They were dressed in their battle suits, with cloth wrapping their face (except the eyes) to prevent being recognized. They looked into each other's eyes and knew that the best way was to split up. Evangeline would take the route on second floor while Senkrad would look around on the first floor. Even though the two of them had only less then a day in their new school, they forced themselves to memorise every single location. Evangeline headed towards second storey. As she walked along the corridors coming to the hall, she felt a strange presence - one that she had never felt before. She, having learnt ninja arts, multiplied herself and positioned her multiples around the hall. Barging in using Kokushundo (movement within the void, thus allowing her to travel at a high speed), she saw a bright light which blinded her for 3 seconds. Her mulitiples disappeared. Then, she felt a sharp pain shooting up her right arm.

When her vision returned, Evangeline saw a slight movement within the darkness surrounding her. Grabbing her right arm, she looked at it to find liquid trickling down, which was obvious to her that it was blood. There was a deep slash and she knew that she was being attacked by the Sacred Jewels Guarders. For every Sacred Jewel, there would be Guards. Evangeline winced quietly in pain as she summoned her weapon. "Twin Hirasume. Appear!" Hirasume was her weapon - a sword, and Twin Hirasume would mean double swords. Two was the most number of weapons she could summon. Grasping the handles of both swords, Evangeline struggled to steady herself. She could not call for help, her enemy had silenced her - preventing any noise made from her, and the enemy also cast a interference spell - preventing mind communication. Evangeline was all alone, and injured. What could she do?

Sensing a sudden movement behind her, she swung around with Hirasume. Sparks flew as her swords and the Guarder's weapon clashed together. The weapon was a blade! Evangeline jumped backwards as the force of the impact pushed her back. She gritted her teeth as the Guard came again. The blade sliced through the air and came towards Evangeline's left arm, probably trying to injure her only un-injured arm left. She dodged and jumped above the attacker, ready to strike down. Just then, an arrow came flying towards her at rapid speed. When she saw it, it was already too late to dodge. The arrow drove through her body and she fell down onto the ground with a thud. Evangeline was in terrible pain with the arrow straight through her body. She struggled in pain and gasped for air. She wanted to scream out but nothing came out of her mouth. Just then, two people came towards her, and she knew that they were the Guards.

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"What do you think we should do with her?" Evangeline heard. "We could always finish her off, like the rest." "But she's just a girl! The ones we finished were men." She struggled to stand with her sword to balance herself. The Guards must have seen her or at least sensed her doing it, because after she did that one of the Guards, the one with the blade, pointed the blade at her throat. "Down, if you want to live." He said, threateningly. Evangeline was frightened, but she stood her ground. She didn't sit down but instead moved closer to the tip of the blade. She could feel the blade slowly piercing her throat. The Guard obviously must have been shocked at Evangeline's actions, and he stepped back more then slightly. Evangeline shut her eyes and was about to go even closer to the blade when the other Guard, the one who used arrows, hit the blade off his partner's hand. "You crazy?!" she heard. "She's trying to kill herself, dammit. Rather then YOU finishing her off. Let her rest for a while, then we'll decide what to do with her." Before Evangeline could hear the rest of the conversation, she felt her whole body going very weak. She lost grip on her sword and it fell to the ground with a clang. All she knew next was that she blacked out, and someone catching her before she fell towards the ground. 


	5. Chapter 5: Classmates

"Uuuh..." Evangeline groaned in pain as she slowly got up. She looked at her body. Her injuries were slightly less painful and the arrow was already gone from her body. She looked around the surroundings and guessed that she must still be in the hall, except backstage. She forced herself to stand up on her two feet, only to fall back... Into the arms of the Arrow Guard. "Woah... You okay?" the Guard looked at Evangeline as he held her steady. She recognised the Guard... He was Dave, her classmate! "Is she awake yet, Dave?" The other Guard emerged through the darkness and Evangeline knew him too. He was Joshua from her class.

Evangeline was shocked at the identity of her enemies but suddenly felt that something was amiss. She reached for her face only to find the cloth covering her face missing. She gasped immediately, knowing that her classmates - the Guards, knew her identity! "Guys, you know-" she gathered her energy to speak. "Yes. We know. You're Evangeline, the new transfer student today. And you're our enemy." Dave said out, calmly, without any fear or doubt. Evangeline's knees suddenly gave way and Dave had to hold her up with all of his strength. Joshua came to assist him too, and helped Evangeline rest on the floor.

"But.. If you knew, why didn't you kill me? I'm your... enemy." Evangeline blurted out, looking straight down at the ground. "You're our classmate, and we don't kill friends." Dave replied and flashed a brilliant smile. Evangeline felt a warm feeling in her heart, but it lasted for only one moment when her injuries acted up again. The sharp pain accelerated through her body as she cried out. Dave and Joshua were taken aback by her sudden outburst and went to check on her wounds immediately. "The bleeding! It's started again." Dave exclaimed, right after Joshua took out an ointment. "Use this. It should stop the bleeding." Dave swiped the ointment out of Joshua's hand and tended to Evangeline's wound. After applying the ointment, her bleeding stopped almost immediately and Evangeline calmed down.

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"I'm fine, no worries..." Evangeline gasped for breath. Dave and Joshua looked at her to make sure she was alright. "Uh, can i ask how the two of you became Guards?" When Dave opened his mouth to speak, Evangeline popped out another question almost too immediately. She just thought of Senkrad who might be looking for her after not being able to contact her through mind. "Wait... Where's my partner? He should be walking around on the first floor." Dave was about to answer her questions when Joshua spoke up first. "Dave was patrolling the first floor earlier on and he spotted your partner. He distracted him with an arrow and threw sleeping powder towards his face. After he fell asleep, Dave opened a portal and sent him back where he came from." Evangeline kept quiet when she heard the news. "Do you guys know who my partner is?" she questioned. Both of them nodded and Joshua spoke up again. "He's Senkrad. Dave removed his cloth too." Evangeline sighed and asked them about her first question again. This time Dave answered her.

"On a day, the two of us disappeared from our own beds and reappeared in a place we've never seen before. It was only after a person explained to us did we understand that we were among the chosen ones who are to defend the Sacred Jewels from being taken away by Evil Forces. That person was our instructor." the words came out of Dave. Joshua nodded. "So... I'm one of the Evil Forces?" Evangeline asked, reluctantly. Dave and Joshua remained silent. Evangeline then stood up on her own, still weak, and used all her strength left to summon a portal. She swayed slightly as Joshua held her straight.

"I have to go. But before that..." Evangeline said to Dave and Joshua, as she suddenly threw an amulet at their direction. At the touch of the amulet, the duo froze at their movements. The amulet was one that freezes a person's movement! As the Guards were shocked and struggled for mobility, Evangeline reached for something behind the stage curtains - the Sacred Jewel. "I am Evil, just like what your instructor said. Remember my eyes - red and freaky, and don't ever trust or help me again. If you see me, do not hesitate to kill me, for i am Evil. I sensed the Sacred Jewel's presence long ago... I'm sorry." Evangeline finished her sentence and turned to enter the portal. She heard her new friends, yet also enemies, struggling hard to break out of the amulet's power behind her. Ignoring them, she went through the portal and disappeared, heading towards the other side. 


	6. Chapter 6: Confrontation

As Evangeline reappeared at the other side of the portal, she could see Elliotte sitting on his armchair, eyes closed, as though waiting for her. Evangeline's eyes drifted to another direction, to find Senkrad sleeping soundly. Evangeline immediately rushed to his side, on her knees. "Senkrad! Senkrad! Wake up, wake up!" she exclaimed as she shook Senkrad. He stirred from his slumber, sitting up slowly and shaking his head. "Ah... Where am i? Evangeline? Is that you?" Senkrad rubbed his eyes as he looked around, eyes resting on Elliotte. His eyes widened and almost immediately, went on his knees and bowed. "My Lord, i truly apologise for my rude behaviour." Senkrad looked at the ground as he spoke, not daring to look at Elliotte. Evangeline followed suit, kneeling down and bowing; after which she took out the Sacred Jewel and presented it to Elliotte. "My Lord, i have found one Sacred Jewel. Please take a good look at it."

As the Sacred Jewel went onto Elliotte's hand, an immense power travelled through the air at a tremendous speed, ruffling the hair of the Dark Angels. When Evangeline and Senkrad glanced up at their Lord, they found that he looked slightly different. His hair grew longer a little and his eyes were glowing. The Sacred Jewel had been absorbed into his body. They both realised that Elliotte got back some of his power. "I have merely a small fraction of my power back. However, for finding one Sacred Jewel, i shall give you two a bit of my own energy." Elliotte said as he stretched out his hand in Evangeline and Senkrad's direction. Elliotte released an energy that flowed through the two's bodies. They, themselves, could feel their insides changing and growing stronger. When Elliotte stopped, the Dark Angels looked up at him with gratitude and a slight fear in their eyes - fear that came from their Lord's dangerous power. "That was excellent work for today. Now go back to your 'homes' and recuperate. Prepare for tomorrow." Elliotte commanded, and his Angels obeyed. They stepped back into the portal and were teleported back into their different rooms. They merged up with the mirror images they had left behind then and slept till next morning...

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At school the next day, during recess, Evangeline was dragged out to a hiding place near her classroom by Dave and Joshua. She looked at the ground, not daring to look at her friends' faces. "What do you want?" she asked them, even though she knew what they were going to confront her about. "Why did you take the Sacred Jewel and ran off yesterday? You-" Dave questioned her halfway when Evangeline interrupted. "I told you - I am Evil. You Guards shouldn't have healed me when you had a chance to kill me. I'm a Dark Angel! Your enemy," she said out without fear, looking down at the ground. She knew whe was lying when she said she was Evil. Evangeline was slowly changing for the better and she knew that too. Dave sighed, and so did Joshua. Then Joshua opened his mouth to speak. "If you were as Evil as you had said, you would have killed us when you first woke up, having knew you were surrounded by two enemies." Hearing that, Evangeline hesitated for a second before dashing off, even though she heard her friends calling for her behind. After Evangeline ran off, Dave and Joshua had nothing to do, and walked back to their class. All three did not know that their conversation as overheard by Xino, who hid behind a tree and used a concealing spell. Without it, she would had been detected by the trio. She stood there, stunned.

Xino ran off to find Revilis immediately after hearing that piece of conversation. Catching eye of Revilis in the canteen, Xino ran towards him and pulled him by the collar out to their hiding spot beneath the shrubs somewhere near the canteen. Apparently, to allow easy conversations without eavesdroppers, the two Light Angels made a secret base underground, with the help of their spiritual energy. They also set up a barrier so that no one will be able to enter, even if people were stepping on it. After settling themselves down in their secret base, Xino began to reveal what she overheard earlier on.

"Evangeline is a Dark Angel! Apparently, the cute Dave and suave Joshua from our class are both Guards..." Xino said out without a care in the world. Unfortunately, when Revilis heard the first sentence about Evangeline, he froze in shock. "Evan... is a Dark Angel? Our enemy?!" he cried out in disbelief. "Yeah. So what? It's not like she's your girlfriend or anything." Xino blurted out bluntly. Revilis only remained silent, still not believing the truth before him. Not noticing her partner's slight demise, Xino decided to set up a trap. "Well... To make sure we get her right where we want her, we'll give her hints about a 'Sacred Jewel', when it doesn't exist at all! And that's when we'll get her, right where we want her," Xino snickered whereas Revilis sighed. He knew he had a crush on Evangeline, but now the "Dark Angel" news just made his matters worse, which was going to attack the girl he liked... 


	7. Chapter 7: A Trap

"Evangeline! C'mere..." Xino signalled Evangeline to come over, and Evangeline walked over hesitantly. "Yes?" Evangeline was curious on what the most popular girl in class wanted with her. Apparently, Xino become popular in less than a day when she first arrived in school. "Well..." Xino dragged. "I heard that near the bus-stop at Simei General Hospital a sparklin' light was spotted by one of the girls! She was alone at that time of the night and said she saw a circle with light spreading all around... When she told her guy friend about it, he went to check it out at night but saw nothin'... Unfortunately, my friend said, you can only see it if you're a girl and you're all alone there!" Xino rattled on her pack of lies, which Evangeline was slowly believing. Hearing that, Evangeline just smiled and said, "Oh", after which she walked off.

Xino glared at Evangeline as she walked back to her desk and sat down. Revilis was near Xino and heard every single word Xino had said to Evangeline. He shook his head and knew that it was his fate as a Light Angel. Just then, the teacher stepped in and classes started. After hours, the bell rang, and it signalled that it was after school. Immediately, Evangeline mind-talked Senkrad to meet her at the school library. They both assembled at a table available in the school library. "So what's up?" he whispered, knowing that they were in a library. "I think i know where the second Sacred Jewel might be, but i have to go alone." Evangeline whispered back while pretending to read a book. Senkrad was taken aback by her choice of going alone but Evangeline soon explained why. After listening, Senkrad voiced out his thoughts. "But... Don't you think all this sounds a bit fishy?" he spoke, softly. "Fishy or not, i still have to go." she mind-talked him the last sentence before leaving the library and the school. She went home to prepare for midnight.

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When the clock chimed twelve, Evangeline created her double and entered her own portal to the sanctuary, where Elliotte and Senkrad should be waiting. True enough, they were awaiting her at the end of the portal. "Evangeline, finish this mission fast. Senkrad has already informed me about the information that you gathered and even i find it slightly strange. It might be a trap for you only, so in case of any trouble mind-call Senkrad immediately." Elliotte said in a calm way, a way Evangeline nor Senkrad had ever heard before. Evangeline, having heard her Lord being worried about her (or so she thought), smiled and said that she would return soon. After saying that, Evangeline bowed and took her leave, entering the portal to nearby the hospital.

Arriving at the gate of the hospital, Evangeline started to walk towards the specific bus-stop as mentioned. While heading there, Evangeline thought about her new powers bestowed upon her by Elliotte. She was wondering what her new powers might be when she realised she already arrived at her destination. Evangeline glanced around, seeing no "light" around her at all. Out of the blue, a light flashed brightly behind her as Evangeline saw it from the corner of her eye. She swung around and was surprised to know that she wasn't blinded by the burst of light unlike her previous experience. She found it weird and started walking very slowly towards the light. A sudden movement behind her caused Evangeline to summon Hirasume as fast as possible, and she turned around with force as weapons clashed together. Evangeline jumped back and strained her eyes to see who her enemy was. She realised that it was a trap! But the person who gave her the information was Xino... Suddenly, the light shone all around Evangeline and her enemy, and she saw the person she was up against - Xino!

"I should have guess it was you, Xino! You were the one who planned this, aren't you?!" Evangeline exclaimed, with rage in her voice. Xino just shrugged her shoulders as she charged forward with her weapon, a katana named Feather. Evangeline defended herself with Hirasume as their weapons clashed once again. Evangeline pushed forward with all her might as Xino stumbled backwards. Just when Evangeline was about to strike down, a blade came from behind her and sliced past her right arm, making her drop Hirasume. The cut by a mysterious enemy was deep as Evangeline struggled to pick up her blade with her left, unharmed arm. She glanced over to see who her attacker was, only to find it was Revilis. Evangeline widened her eyes in shock as the person who once saved her was her enemy!

Revilis avoided eye contact with her, and then urged Xino to finish what she wanted to do. Xino nodded, and then shouted out to Evangeline, "Hey, Dark Angel! Just so you know, the two of us are Light Angels - your sworn enemies. We set up this trap to make sure we finish all the Dark Angels off - for the sake of mankind!" Evangeline balanced herself with her right arm, weak and bleeding, and pointed the tip of the blade towards Xino, with a "bring-it-on" look on her face. Xino was enraged by the fact that Evangeline was injured yet challenging her. After which Xino took Feather and drove forward with all her might. Having became weak, Evangeline's body movements were slowed down tremendously as Feather sliced her left arm deeply. Evangeline gasped.

Xino was charging non-stop towards Evangeline and it was taking Evangeline all of her energy to keep up with Xino. Just then, Hirasume was knocked out of Evangeline's hand by Revilis as he jumped in the fight all of a sudden. Grasping her right arm, Evangeline knew that she was surrounded and outnumbered. She was with no weapons and neither any energy left. Xino dashed forward with Feather and executed excellent swordsmanship, slashing Evangeline repeatedly as she cried out in pain. Seeing her in her weakest state, Xino took advantage of the situation as she pushed Feather through Evangeline's body. Evangeline screamed in an earth-shattering pitch as the pain engulfed her entire being. Xino took her sword out of Evangeline's body as she slumped down on the ground, gasping in pain. Just as Xino was about to deliver the finishing blow, the skies flashed suddenly and Senkrad miraculously appeared. 


	8. Chapter 8: Wounded

As Senkrad descended from the dark skies with his wings - his new-found power, his eyes rested on a seriously injured Evangeline under Xino's katana. Senkrad flew into a rage as he dual-summoned his weapon - a gun called Bloody Rose, and two identical guns appeared in his hands. He then fired endlessly at his enemies, careful not to hit his already-injured ally. With the bullets showering down on the Light Angels like never-ending rain, they had no choice but to retreat, not without dragging their new hostage along. Xino grabbed Evangeline by her clothes and pulled her as Revilis and Xino fended of the oncoming bullets.

Evangeline grimaced as she was dragged along the bumpy ground, as though her serious wounds were already not enough. Senkrad came to realise that accuracy is needed in his shots, and finally took proper aim. His bullet striked directly at Xino's hand that was holding onto Evangeline's clothes, causing Xino to scream in pain. Her hand then released Evangeline's clothes and Evangeline struggled to stand up on her feet for a quick get-away. Using all of her might and concentration to run, Evangeline couldn't sense a silent enemy coming from behind her. Quietly, Revilis sneaked up behind Evangeline with his blade, ready to strike anytime.

"Evan! Behind you!" Senkrad exclaimed in fear - fearing that his only partner would not be able to survive. Just as Revilis took up his blade to silence Evangeline, with much sadness on his face, Evangeline barely avoided his fatal attack and swerved around with all her might. She summoned Hirasume and turned to face Revilis. Senkrad flew down somewhere near Evangeline and Revilis, glancing over to make sure that she was okay. He then noticed that Evangeline was not in the condition to battle and when was going over to assist her, his path was blocked by Xino. "I'm not letting you interfere! Revilis is gonna finish off Evangeline, and you're not going to do anything about it!" Xino shouted out, with a look of satisfaction on her face. She grabbed Feather with her uninjured hand and charged towards Senkrad. Kept busy, Senkrad had no choice but to fight, worried about Evangeline as he readied himself.

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Not far from Senkrad and Xino, Evangeline grabbed Hirasume tightly, watching Revilis's every move. Every step that Revilis took she went the opposite direction, just as to make sure that she doesn't get anymore wounds on her body. When Revilis suddenly lunged forward, Evangeline threw all her fears away and prepared her sword. Their weapons clashed, and with her being heavily injured, Evangeline fell backwards under the strong impact as she struggled to steady herself fast. However, she was not fast enough as Revilis came in for a second attack. He slashed hard at Evangeline's sword, trying to weaken her grip on it. It worked, and Evangeline lost her grip on her blade. It flew back far away and stabbed into the ground, making impossible for Evangeline to be armed immediately. She couldn't fight back and no assistance could be offered - Senkrad was still occupied with Xino. She was trapped with no way to run.

Senkrad looked over to Evangeline's direction and was shocked to find Evangeline cornered. He had to find a way to reach her fast! However, Xino was not any small fry, and she was hard to handle with her swift blows, even though she was injured in a hand. Senkrad was going to take some time before he could go to Evangeline's aid and he hoped she could last. Evangeline was struggling to avoid all the attacks by Revilis as he swung his weapon about wildy. His attacks were fierce and fast, avoiding them was hard for the injured Evangeline. She was much too focused on not getting hit, when she suddenly tripped over the stone pavement that she was on. She landed on the ground and looked up to see only Revilis's sword. Evangeline was under his sword! She knew that she had no escape - the sword was at her head and one stab was all Revilis needed to kill her. Evangeline shut her eyes as she faced her incoming death. Revilis raised his sword.

"No! Evangeline!" Senkrad exclaimed out, when seeing that Revilis has raised his sword and ready to strike down on Evangeline anytime. Senkrad wanted to fire at Revilis's hand when Xino whacked Senkrad's gun, causing his shot to go awry and miss his target. Senkrad was mad with fury as he fired at Xino. He knew that he couldn't get past Xino and Evangeline was in danger without him doing a thing! Evangeline still had her eyes shut tightly when Revilis got his sword above her head. When he finally brought the sword down with force, he stabbed the sword into the ground near Evangeline, only cutting her on her arm slightly.

"Sorry. I just can't bear to hurt you anymore." Evangeline heard Revilis mutter, opening her eyes to see him walking away. Xino was taken aback by Revilis's actions and stopped in her tracks, giving Senkrad the chance to go to Evangeline's aid. Senkrad immediatley rushed to her side and checked on her wounds, which looked pretty serious. Looking at her, Senkrad noticed that Evangeline was suddenly giddy from the loss of blood and felt weak for a moment, her whole body going limp. Senkrad caught her in his arms just in time before she hit the ground. He turned back, only finding the Light Angels gone from the scene. Senkrad was relieved and carried Evangeline on his arms. He opened a portal with his remaining energy as he was also weary from the battle. Looking down at Evangeline all bloodied and eyes closed, Senkrad walked through the portal as fast as he could. 


	9. Chapter 9: Old Friends

Senkrad appeared through the other end of the portal, desperately looking for Elliotte so that he may heal Evangeline's serious wounds. She already started to go into states of shock, her whole body trembling and breaking out in cold sweat. Senkrad placed her lightly on the ground and gently pushed away the fringe that was covering her face, when Evangeline suddenly opened her eyes. "Tsk!" Evangeline winced as the pain accelerated throughout her entire body; the jolt of pain came from the gapping wound in her body. "Evan-" Senkrad was at a loss of what to do when Evangeline started floating in mid-air. Senkrad followed the energy source that levitated his comrade - to find that it came from Elliotte.

Elliotte was using his energy, controlling the air around Evangeline and healing her wounds. Little by little, her wounds closed up and vanished as though she had never been injured before. In a short moment, Evangeline has nearly recovered fully and Elliotte allowed her to land softly on the ground. Giving a sigh, Elliotte went to check on Evangeline's now-healed wounds, with Senkrad standing beside him. "Her wounds are fine, but the deeper one will take longer to heal. Any aggravation or light hit on that area will cause sharp pains for Evangeline, which could cause her to faint. At worse cases, the bleeding may start again. When that happens..." Elliotte paused before he continued.

"When that happens, Evangeline could be in serious danger." Elliotte stood up after examining and walked back to his crowned seat. "I would expect you to take good care of her in 'school', Senkrad, and make sure that all is fine with her." Elliotte said, with a tinge of irritation in his voice - perhaps due to the Light Angels' attack on Evangeline. Senkrad nodded and backed away in Evangeline's direction. As she was unconscious from the healing earlier on, Senkrad carried Evangeline into the portal and went 'home' to prepare for the next day.

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Another day passed, as Senkrad and Evangeline arrived early in school and sat in the deserted canteen, talking about the previous day's incident. The 'school' was barely lit up yet, being so early still. "You okay now, Evan?" Senkrad looked at Evangeline with an endearing look. Evangeline was surprised as she blushed and turned away, mumbling a muffled "Yes". Senkrad was taken aback at his own actions that he was originally oblivious to, and blushed furiously as well. Evangeline stared into blank space as Senkrad did his 'schoolwork'. She was thinking about Revilis, as well as Xino, and how she'd never, ever once suspected they were the Light Angels. Her mind was going through the memories of the day before, when the picture of memories landed at a picture - the picture of a horrible attack that she had received. Happening in a spilt-second, the wound she received the other day hurt sharply as she grimaced and clutched her chest.

Senkrad noticed how pale Evangeline was getting, and his eyes rested on her hands which were holding on tightly to her wounded area. Rushing to her side, Senkrad grasped Evangeline's hand as his anxiety showed on his face, at the same time, his Lord's words coming back to him. "...When that happens, Evangeline could be in serious danger." Senkrad froze, and rapidly, checked if Evangeline's wound was bleeding. It wasn't. Filled with relief, Senkrad squeezed Evangeline's hand tightly, assuring her that she was fine. The pain was still going through her entire being. Just then, footsteps could be heard in the dark behind them as two shadowed figures walked into the canteen.

Those footsteps were only familiar to Evangeline as she had heard the same sounds before - in the dark and in pain. She was in the school hall then, and the stepping of the shoes were no different. She knew who was coming. "Dave...? Joshua...?" Evangeline forced their names out of her mouth with the little strength that she had left, and the two figures stopped in their tracks. "Evan?" Dave exclaimed - surprised that Evangeline was at school so early. Happy as he was to see an old friend, Dave pulled Joshua forward to Evangeline's side when he saw that she was in pain, just like that day in the school hall - that day they first met. Joshua, who was still slightly sore at the fact that Evangeline betrayed them back then, reluctantly took out his ointment for her.

Senkrad snatched the ointment out out Joshua's hands, grateful, and flipped open Evangeline's uniform awkwardly; applying the ointment on her source of pain - her chest. Evangeline flinched at the touch of Senkrad's fingertips as the cool surface went against her skin, soothing her pain. As she began to calm down, Evangeline saw the curious faces of Dave and Joshua, and she understood. Evangeline was abashed when she knew her uniform was opened, hence she dressed herself properly; and begun to tell them about her plight - how her wound came about. 


	10. Chapter 10: A New Appearance

Evangeline elaborated on the Light Angels and their fierce clash, and the Guards listened attentively. It was clearly shown on their faces that they were taken aback both Light and Dark Angels were in the same class. As for Evangeline, she had no idea how she was going to face Xino and Revilis in class later on. Senkrad saw the worry in Evangeline's eyes and grasped her hand tightly. Evangeline returned his assurance with a smile, something she knew she would not have done when she first arrived in the Human world. She has changed, and she herself knew that very well; so did Senkrad. As the two Dark Angels sat there, hands enclosed together and the two Guards conversing with one another, the sun rose; and in a few hours' time, classes would commence...

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Right before class, Xino and Revilis brushed past Evangeline without looking at her, only Revilis met her eyes once; and she expected nothing less. From behind her, Evangeline could even feel eyes staring her down. As the teacher started class and begun droning on about a subject, Evangeline rested her heavy head on her desk. She was troubled by her bewildered heart - the heart that started to beat wildly everytime Evangeline met Senkrad's eyes. Evangeline clutched her heart and blushed. Just that moment, the surrounding temperature turned dropped suddenly and the air was freezing cold. Evangeline felt the immediate change and raised her head slowly in caution. There were traces of magic in the classroom, and Evangeline knew that something was wrong. As she glanced around, Evangeline noticed that only those with magical abilities like herself were still in motion. The rest of her classmates were frozen stiff, as though trapped in time. Senkrad stood up abruptly and went towards Evangeline's table. "Do you feel anything... Else? This is definitely not normal, Evan." Nodding, Evangeline felt a strong magical presence as well - one that she has never felt before; it was a stranger. Xino and Revilis summoned their weapons - Feather and Natura, as a long-haired classmate stood up at the front row. The girl flipped around and wore a cold smile on her face.

"Jezebel!" Senkrad cried out, as he dual-summoned his Bloody Rose and pointed one of them at her. He could guess what she was with the kind of magic that was used. "

You're a time mage!"

Dave and Joshua already had their weapons in their hands as well, and only Evangeline was unarmed. Jezebel made an aquamarine staff appearred in her hand and stepped forward towards Senkrad with a smirk.

"Oh no," she replied in a sarcastic tone. "I'm definitely not one of those low-levelled mages."

Jezebel disappeared into thin air, causing Senkrad to look around wildly; just as she reappeared right beside him and cast a spell. Senkrad's eyes widened in shock as he was encased in a diamond-shaped cage and floated into the air.

"Not only can i freeze time and travel through space, but i can also cast spells," Jezebel twirled her staff as the rest - Xino, Dave and the others stared at her intently. All of a sudden, she vanished once more and appeared beside Xino and Revilis, casting the cage spell on the two.

"I'm an ArchMaga." Evangeline stood frozen to the ground as the word "ArchMaga" rang through her head.  
An ArchMaga was a mage of the highest ranking amongst magicians, and their powers were immense. People in her realm respected the ArchMagas there, and fearead them as well. Evangeline had a close encounter with an ArchMaga once in her own land and had only managed to escape, barely, with her life. A cold shiver went down her spine as the thoughts of the close encounter with death went through her mind. Dual summoning Hirasume, Evangeline knew what to expect from an ArchMaga and braced herself, grasping her weapons tightly. Dave and Joshua readied themselves as well, and pointed their arrow and blade at Jezebel. Breaking the awful silence, Joshua spoke up.

"What is it that you want, Jezebel - speak it." Jezebel threw back her head and laughed, in awe of Joshua's bravery to even question her. Twirling her staff once again, Jezebel glanced at Joshua and said, "The ArchAngel."

Senkrad exclaimed out from his enclosed prison. "The ArchAngel?! It doesn't even exist, so how can it walk this Earth? Jezebel, you must be dreaming!" Jezebel glared at Senkrad with a fierce stare before returning her gaze to the Guards, as she continued to answer their question. "The ArchAngel has immense power, so much more than that of mine; and when I find it and capture it, I shall rule the lands!" Jezebel shouted out with truimph in her voice. All of a sudden, she spoke in a icy cold manner. "And to prevent anyone of capturing the ArchAngel before me... Maybe i should just kill everyone here!"

Lurching forward towards the Guards and not taking notice of Evangeline, Jezebel swung her staff forward as her staff clashed together with Joshua's blade. Dave released and arrow from afar, when the arrow suddenly froze in mid air. He then looked over to see Joshua down on the ground with Jezebel's staff at his neck, and Jezebel's hand at the arrow's direction. "Time freeze!" Dave exlcaimed and was taken aback when Jezebel gave him a menacing smile. Dave was at a disadvantage - his weapon could not be used for fighting short ranges! Jezebel could use time freeze against any weapons that specialised in far range attacks. As Jezebel charged at his direction with Joshua pinned to the ground by a mysterious force, Dave had no way to counter or run. Just when Jezebel swung down her staff, a sword appeared from the side and blocked the blow.

"Never! I'll never allow an evil person like you capture the ArchAngel!" Evangeline used her sword and pushed Jezebel back, standing in front of Dave. "Evangeline!!" Senkrad exclaimed from the cage as he desperately tried to break down the walls, with his bullets as well as his physical body. "It's no use, Senkrad," Xino from the cage beside Senkrad's was sitting down, as though given up. "Revilis and I tried already... The cage's made of magic - we can't break it down with anything physical. Only magic will be able to do the trick. And none of us here can do magic. We can only attack physically, and do nothing but that," Xino sighed, and Senkrad slammed the walls of the cage with his fist.

"At times like this, I just feel so useless!" he thought to himself. Senkrad looked at Evangeline's direction; she was staring at Jezebel. Joshua was still pinned to the ground, unable to move at all. Evangeline grasped Hirasume with great strength and whispered to Dave, "back me up", before dashing forward straight into the lion's den. "Evangeline!!" Senkrad knew Evangeline was still slightly weak in close range attacks yet she charged towards Jezebel, drawing the distance between them. "Evangeline, no!" Senkrad cried out.


	11. Chapter 11: The Fight

Evangeline made a fast sprint towards Jezebel as Jezebel quietly mouthed a couple of words. It was a silent spell! Out from Jezebel's staff flew a gargantuan flame, and it went towards Evangeline's direction. Gasps were heard from the rest as Evangeline leapt into the air, scarely avoiding being burnt into a crisp. Just as she landed on the ground, another spell came flying towards Evangeline once more. As she jumped around trying to avoid the spells cast by Jezebel, Evangeline knew she had to find a way to get close to strike. Using Kokushundo, Evangeline appeared right next to Jezebel within a second, only to find an aquamarine staff right at her face. With no time to react, the staff struck down on Evangeline's chest. Evangeline flew backwards due to the impact and slammed on the wall. Her wound on her chest was not yet fully healed, and Evangeline coughed out blood as red liquid seeped through her school uniform. Evangeline clutched her previously-wounded area and winced as pain travelled through her body.

Dave fell backwards on the ground in shock; he had no idea what he could do to help Evangeline. Dave has never seen an ArchMaga before and it was the first time he felt the true prowess of a mage - and a high levelled mage at that! Dave trembled in fear as his weapon dropped on the floor beside him. Joshua must have seen Dave's reaction to Jezebel's strength and power, because the next instant, there were shouts from him. "You idiot!! How long have we been Guards?! How can you be afraid of an enemy that is stronger than you?! Is this how you show me your abilities as a Guard?? To cower in fear?!" Joshua screamed at the top of his lungs. With just those few sentences, Dave regained his composure. Steadying himself, Dave grabbed his weapon and took aim at Jezebel, who was slowly stepping towards an injured Evangeline on the ground. Dave took a deep breath as he decided to try out a new stunt he has never tried before - shooting 5 arrows at once, with another 2 as follow-ups. Grasping the arrows and under the notice of Jezebel, Dave waited silently for a right moment to release the arrows.

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Jezebel took her own sweet time walking towards Evangeline who was lying on the ground in pain. Senkrad was utterly worried when he saw that Evangeline's wound started bleeding again and Elliotte's words went through his mind the second time today - "Any aggravation or light hit... cause sharp pains for Evangeline... faint... could be in serious danger." Evangeline was already on the verge of passing out, and Senkrad knew he had to do something... But what? Physical attacks had no effect on the cage. All of a sudden, it dawned on him.

Elliotte had given Evangeline and himself new-found powers, even though it was a small amount. They both WOULD have a slight amount of magic within them. Grinning, Senkrad aimed his gun at the cage and concentrated his energy on his gun and the bullet. He felt the energy leave his body and slowly merging with his gun, Bloody Rose. When Senkrad pulled the trigger, the bullet flew out and left a trail of sliver in the air. It was a magical bullet! As it hit the cage, the bullet stayed in mid air for a couple of seconds before dissolving into thin air. Cracks then started to appear at the area where the magical bullet had hit. In a few moments, the cage shattered and Senkrad landed on the ground lightly, aiming the gun at the other cage near him. The cage broken, Revilis and Xino jumped out, free. Jezebel heard and felt the two cages shatter, thus swinging around in Senkrad's direction. Her face turned a shade of black when she found her three hostages released.

Evangeline struggled to her feet as quietly as possible when Jezebel's back was to her. She staggered towards Dave as Dave held out his arms to help Evangeline stand on her two feet. Evangeline's vision already started to blur. Jezebel looked over her shoulder and was fuming that she was outnumbered and out-smarted. However, she gave a sinister smile that sent shivers down spines and vanished on the spot. Senkrad was fast enough to realise what Jezebel was up to. "Watch out! Jezebel's gonna attack-" Senkrad shouted over to Dave and Evangeline when Jezebel reappeared directly behind Evangeline. Senkrad wasn't fast enough to warn them. Xino and Revilis watched and gasped.

Evangeline, being injured but still quick-minded, took her sword and swung it in Jezebel's direction. By pure luck, Evangeline's sword struck true and Jezebel's staff was knocked out of her hands. Jezebel flinched as her staff rolled on the ground away from her. Eyes widening, she desperately reached out to grab her weapon, to no avail. Revilis was a lot more faster than her, and her staff was already in his hand. Jezebel gritted her teeth and hastily drew a magic circle with her hand. In a flash, she was gone, and so were the rest of their classmates who were frozen in time. Exhausted, Evangeline wanted to glance out of their classroom window but was alarmed to find that there was no window. Her eyes widened as she glanced around her surroundings. They were not in their classroom!

"I thought we were in class?! Weren't we still having lessons when Jezebel froze time?? Where are we- " Evangeline exclaimed, when her bleeding wound forced her to stop talking. The pain was causing her to lose the strength to even stand up on her legs. She knew she was going to lose consciousness soon. Senkrad stepped forward and carried Evangeline on his arms, after thanking Dave for holding onto her. Xino and Revilis came towards the group, along with Joshua who was now mobile. Joshua's wrists and ankles were red from struggling against the force that was pressing him down.

"Jezebel must have transported us to The Realm. In the other world, i think our class must still be in time freeze." Joshua deducted and the rest agreed. "What we must do now is to find a way to go back to our world, and safely. The only solution is to find Jezebel. She definitely isn't some small fry, since she can transport a large number of people into another realm." Senkrad held Evangeline steady as Joshua continued speaking. "We have to find a place that we can rest for the night. Evangeline is wounded and we all need to rest." Evangeline looked around in the dark and found the place strangely familiar. Her eyes shut slowly as she felt herself being carried. 


	12. Chapter 12: The Realm

When Evangeline's eyes fluttered open, she found that her head was on Senkrad's lap. "Evan! You're finally awake... You alright now?" Senkrad smiled as he assisted Evangeline in getting up. It was still dark. Evangeline squinted her eyes and tried to scan the area when she was up; the trees, the grass, everything seemed so new to her. Yet there was a sense of familiarity as well for this was the "Other Realm" that the Dark and Light Angels grew up in. But all their memories in the Other Realm were erased when they were transported to The Human World; the Angels had no inkling that this Realm was once their home.

"Evan?" Evangeline whipped around and nodded her head lightly. "Yeah, I'm okay. Better now..." She glanced over at the rest of the group - Dave and Joshua were in their own world having a conversation; Revilis was asleep and Xino was leaning against a tree, daydreaming. The whole group of them, including Evangeline and Senkrad, were resting under a huge tree throughout the night. Evangeline looked at her wound and realised that it was still bleeding slightly. When she raised her head, Xino was suddenly in front of her. Evangeline got a shock and scrambled back as Senkrad stood ahead of his partner. Xino stared at Evangeline and Senkrad, after which she just pushed him aside and dragged Evangeline off. Evangeline struggled to keep up with Xino's walking speed. After moments, Xino stopped in her tracks right beside a large lake. Evangeline halted as well, amazed by the elegance and the natural beauty of the lake. She bent over and placed her hand on the surface of the water.

The waters of the lake was crystal clear; so clear that Evangeline could even see the bottom of the lake when the rays of the moon shone down. The water felt so cool against her skin as she dipped her hand into the lake. But, what did Xino bring her there for? Turning around, Evangeline realised that Xino was now carrying bandages on her hands. "Look, we're stuck in the same predicament. We're lost in an unfamiliar world together, so i guess for now, we have to work as a team... Who cares if we're enemies or not. But!" Xino faced Evangeline and voiced out suddenly. "But, once we're back in the Human world looking for Sacred Jewels, we're on opposite sides again, got it?" Xino washed the bandages in the lake and scrunched them dry. She then pointed to the wound on Evangeline's chest. Finally understanding Xino's reasons for bringing her to the lake, Evangeline removed her clothing as Xino helped wrap the bandages around the wound. After all was done, Evangeline got dressed and the two begun heading back to their temporary campsite.

As they were nearing their destination, both of them stopped in their tracks. They breathed in deeply and realised that the air had a stench of blood. Evangeline and Xino looked at each other with fear and started to increase their walking speed. Their walk broke into a run as they arrived at their resting spot to find - wolves! Revilis, Senkrad, Dave and Joshua already drew their weapons and were fending off the wolves. The savage creatures were baring their sharp fangs and showing their claws. Xino immediately summoned Feather and dashed forward. Evangeline was about to do the same when Xino stopped her. "You're still injured, dammit! Hide somewhere and don't you dare get anymore wounds!" After saying that, Xino ran off into the bloodied battelfield. Evangeline stood rooted to the spot for a few seconds before running off to take cover behind a tree, away from the fighting.

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Senkrad was firing magical bullets randomly at the oncoming wolves when he spotted Xino from the corner of his eyes. She was carrying her katana and joining in the fierce battle - without Evangeline. "Where's Evan?!" Senkrad shouted over the noises in the air. "Hiding somewhere! She can't possibly fight in her state!!" came Xino's reply. Senkrad agreed; Evangeline wasn't really strong enough to fight yet, and he certainly did not want her to receive anymore blows or injuries. As the wolves kept on attacking relentlessly, Dave jumped up and sat on the nearest branch of a tree. He then began firing a rain of arrows down on the wolves. Joshua was slashing wildly at the wolves that pounced on him. Xino began to assist Revilis in the intense battle as the two Light Angels fought in unison. Senkrad stopped firing suddenly and disappeared from the fight scene as he decided to look for Evangeline, making sure that she was safe first.

Evangeline remained seated behind the trees as cries and growls of the wolves were heard. She felt frustrated that she couldn't do anything; nothing at all. Summoning Hirasume, Evangeline grasped her beloved weapon and held it to her chest. She knew she couldn't just sit there and wait for the fight to be over. She HAD to fight too, as a Dark Angel. When Evangeline stood up and took a step forward, she suddenly sensed a presence behind her. Shocked, she swung around and caught a glimpse of a man with an air of hostility. Just as Evangeline drove her sword forward, the man used kokushundo and moved behind Evangeline; grabbing her neck and pinning her to the tree before Evangeline could even get away. Evangeline choked. The wound on her body made her even weak and vulnerable.

"So... What do we have here? A young maiden armed with a weapon?" The man held Evangeline's neck to the tree tightly, refusing to let go. The man was with shoulder-length brown hair and blue eyes that seemed to glitter under the moonlight. Evangeline stared at her attacker, refusing to answer his question. Annoyed, the man squeezed Evangeline's throat even tighter, causing her to cough harder. It was getting harder for her to breathe too. "Tell me. Where do you come from, and why are you in the Land of the Wolves?" The man whispered beside Evangeline's ear. Evangeline felt a shiver went down her spine. At that moment, a bullet struck the tree, almost like a warning. From behind them, both Evangeline and her attacker saw a gun smoking and someone standing a couple of metres away from them. It was Senkrad! Evangeline's vision started to blur. "Leave her alone!!" Senkrad burst forward with his guns and Evangeline fell forward, losing her consciousness.

The attacker grabbed Evangeline as she fell, holding her in his arms as she collapsed and Senkrad held back his attacks when he saw that Evangeline had fainted. Just then, the man held out his hand, with his palm facing Senkrad. In an instant, out from his palm came a shadow-like substance, engulfing the man and Evangeline. "Evan! NO!" Senkrad cried out as he watched Evangeline disappear into the darkness with his very eyes. The shadow vanished into thin air, along with Evangeline and her attacker. Senkrad fired into the darkened skies and screamed in anguish. 


	13. Chapter 13: Rolan

When Evangeline was finally awake, she found herself in what seemed like a jail cell; and her wrists and ankles were chained to the wall. She stuggled to break free but failed as her energy level was still low due to her wound on her chest. Summoning Hirasume, Evangeline grasped her weapon in her hand as she desperately tried to smash open the chains. It was of no use at all. Her hand couldn't even reach the chains for physical contact. Evangeline sighed and allowed her weapon to disappear. Just then, light began to seep into the jail cell, meaning that it was already day. The rays blinded Evangeline as she struggled to open her eyes against the brightness. A gate creaked open as Evangeline raised her head. There was someone at the gate of the cell.

Evangeline strained her eyes to catch a view of her captor; she could barely make out who he was, but she was sure that it was that man from the night before. Those shimmering blue eyes were etched in her mind. Footsteps were heard getting closer and closer to her, until a dark figure with sapphire eyes was standing directly ahead of her. "My name is Rolan. Speak of your name, and nothing else." His voice echoed through the cell. Evangeline felt slightly intimidated by the tone of his voice and shrunk back just slightly. "...Evangeline." Rolan nodded his head, satisfied with Evangeline's reply. "What purpose is it of yours to step into the forbidden land, the Land of the Wolves? You failed to answer me the previous night," Rolan questioned her, hoping that she would give him a clear answer. Evangeline was at a loss of what to say at that instant; the truth would seem exaggerated to him, yet lies would not do either. Rolan seemed to have noticed the struggle for words, when he suddenly voiced out, "Just tell me, Evangeline, no matter if it sounds unbelievable or not." Evangeline nodded, reluctantly, and opened her mouth as she related the string of events to Rolan.

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Senkrad returned to where Xino and the others were, to find that the wolves were already long gone and the rest were suffering from injuries; injuries that must have been from the ferocious attacks of the wolves. Hearing his footsteps, Xino swung around and when she saw Senkrad, she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Damn you! Where the heck did you go?! We were risking our lives out there and instead of giving us a hand, you dared disappear on us! And where's Evangeline?" Xino shouted into Senkrad's face, ready to give him a straight punch as Revilis held her back. Senkrad struggled for a reply. He wanted to tell her that Evangeline's gone; vanished right in front of his eyes, along with her captor, but the words just seemed so difficult to say. Xino calmed down slightly, and asked again. "Where IS Evangeline? Tell me. Now." Senkrad reluctantly replied, "Gone."

Xino stood at her spot, motionlessly for a few moments before flying into a rage. Dave and Joshua were taken aback, whereas Revilis had a look of worry on his face. "Evangeline was kidnapped right in front of my eyes, and-" Senkrad stopped, and hesistantly continued. "And, I couldn't even do anything when she and her captor vanished into the shadows." Joshua, after attending to his wounds, thought out loud. "Shadow teleportation." The rest of them glanced at him and thought about it for a while; after which agreeing with Joshua. The "shadow vanishing act" could only be one thing - shadow teleportation. Senkrad's face was plastered with guilt. Revilis must have seen it, because the next moment, he came up to Senkrad. "She'll be fine, don't worry. Evangeline is a lot stronger than you think. She'll definetely wait for us to come to her... Definetely." Senkrad nodded, as he sat down on the soft and bloodied grass, with Evangeline on his mind. They had to find her, and fast... No matter what it takes.

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Rolan listened attentively, nodding his head as Evangeline rambled on. When she finally finished, Rolan had no look of surprise on his face. Instead, he looked as though he anticipated it. Rolan took a few steps forward and was heading out of the cell when he stopped dead in his tracks. "... If you promise not to summon your weapon or attack at all, I can let you roam free around this land, but only if you are near me every single moment," Rolan gave Evangeline a proposition which seemed very reasonable. Without further consideration, Evangeline just thought about it for a few moments before agreeing to Rolan's contract. Rolan snapped his fingers; and almost instantly, the chains around Evangeline's wrist and ankles broke apart, dropping heavily onto the stoney ground with loud noises. There's no time to be amazed, Evangeline thought, as she quickly followed behind Rolan like a little puppy.

While walking past the other jail cells, Evangeline saw that skeletons were left dangling inside; no doubt the remains of other humans in the past. She shuddered, and quickened her footsteps. The path down the long corridor was so eerily quiet, with only the sound of shoes tapping against the cold, hard ground. After what seemed like a few hours spent in silence, Rolan and Evangeline finally reached a spiral staircase. Giving three knocks on the wall, the echoes of the knocking bounced off the walls and up the stairs. In a few moments, patterings of feet were heard and a stout female elf appeared in front of Evangeline and Rolan. "Risallez, bring my guest to the guest room and give her a new change of clothes." Rolan motioned Evangeline to follow the elf up, and Evangeline understood. Without hesitation, Evangeline followed Risallez, the elf, up the flight of stairs as Risallez led Evangeline to her temporary room. All was silent once again; all except the shoes.

Upon reaching the room, Evangeline was left alone once she stepped in. The room was nearly bare, and only has a bed, a dresser and a cabinet. Opening the cabinet gently, Evangeline found clothes that were fit for royalties inside. Shimmering gold, romantic red... All the colors that one can name were all inside. Evangeline allowed her hand to brush past the soft fabric of the clothes. She chose a color according to her mood, and chose white - pure white. After she changed, Evangeline stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself. The dress, or rather, the gown, fitted her perfectly. Suddenly, knocks came from the door.

"Miss Evangeline? Orders from Lord Rolan, I am to do your hair. May i enter?" Risallez humbly shouted from outside the room. "Go ahead! Enter," Evangeline gave the permission, and Risallez entered the room with a box. When the box was filpped open, Evangeline was stunned by the amount of hair ornaments inside the box. While Risallez was combing Evangeline's long tresses, Evangeline decided to voice out her thoughts. "... Can i call you Risa?" Risallez stopped in the tracks and looked at Evangeline through the mirror. "Nobody has ever called me that before, Miss Evangeline," Evangeline smiled. "Then i shall be the first! And please, Risa, don't mind the formalities! Take me as your friend, alright? Call me Evan." Risallez smiled back for a split second. "As you wish, Evan. But when Lord Rolan is around, I have to..." Risallez spoke hesitantly and Evangeline cut in before Risallez could finish. "I understand." Risallez grinned widely as she continued to adorn Evangeline with accessories. Evangeline closed her eyes, and thought about her friends; and Senkrad. 


	14. Chapter 14: Land of The Wolves

Senkrad and the others followed the trails of the wolves, which were the only clues that they could find. They were hoping the footprints would lead them to any nearby towns or cities, thus then being able to replenish their energy and neccessities there. As they trodded on, there was only one thing on Senkrad's mind - Evangeline. He had been thinking of her since the previous night when she was abducted and Senkrad realised that he loved Evangeline. As a girl. When she was taken away, Senkrad felt so useless when she was just in front of her and yet, he couldn't do anything to save her. His heart broke when his beloved was gone. He finally understood himself, but he didn't want anyone else to know about this matter. Especially Evangeline.

"Ahead! There's a town up front!" Revilis's voice sounded out, interrupting Senkrad's thoughts. Senkrad glanced up and sure enough, a town was situated there ahead of them. In a few moments, the whole group was at the gate of their destination, all ready to enter. A sign at the gate said "Land of the Wolves". Walking forward through the gate casually, Senkrad and the rest were hastily stopped by the soldiers of the town. The soldiers at the gate glanced at a poster in their hands for a few moments, before looking up and scrutinising everyone's faces. Xino felt that something was amiss, and was on high alert, summoning Feather behind her back. She grasped her weapon tightly and kept her eyes on the soldiers. Revilis shifted uncomfortably. Joshua and Dave took short glances at each other, somewhat worried. Senkrad stared coldly at the soldiers of the town, eyes baring through them. The soldiers whispered something into each other's ears, and one of them took off. The remaining soldier continued to eye the group as they entered the town with caution within each step. Xino allowed her katana to disappear as she followed the group into the town, her eyes not leaving the soldier once until he was out of her sight. Xino still had that unnerving feeling in her heart though, and she couldn't figure out why. She shrugged it off.

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Evangeline looked at herself in the mirror after Risallez left; she looked unbelievably gorgeous. Her long, black hair was beautifully highlighted by the glittering pins in her hair, and her hair was curled. It was a side of herself that she has never seen. Twirling herself, Evangeline giggled, and shut her mouth almost immediately. She has never giggled before. Shaking the thought off, Evangeline grabbed hold of the hems of her gown, to prevent herself from tripping, and exited the room. Risallez was outside of the room, waiting patiently. Evangeline felt bad about Risallez waiting but brushed the feeling off, giving Risallez a warm smile. Embarassed, Risallez mumbled something inaudible to Evangeline, only gesturing to her to follow before she went down the spiral stairs. Evangeline was amused by the shy actions of Risallez and smiled to herself. She stopped in her tracks, and realised she had emotions. She was no longer what she called herself in the past - a Dark Angel. Feeling extremely confused, Evangeline ignored the truth about herself and hurried down the stairs after Risallez.

Arriving at a turn she has never seen before, Evangeline slowed down to a halt, breathing in short gasps. She released the hems of the gown and stepped slowly into the room that was in front of her. She let out a gasp at first sight of the room. The whole room, or rather, the ballroom, was breathtaking. The designs on the walls were painstalkingly carved out - Evangeline could tell. Her hands ran along the walls, feeling the bumpiness of each carving. "Evangeline?" Evangeline swung around, flustered, when she heard her name. Rolan was sitting behind a long table, and atop the table was food. Rolan gestured to the chair directly opposite of himself, and Evangeline got the message. Rolan went over and carried the chair out for her, allowing Evangeline to sit down. Evangeline took a glance at the cutlery in front of her with a puzzled look on her face. Rolan laughed, amused by the fact that Evangeline knew not of which cutlery to use. "Help yourself, it's okay if you don't know which cutlery to use. Go ahead," Evangeline nodded, with gratefulness, and started eating. Rolan looked at her with a smile on his face, and stared intently at Evangeline.

Finishing the food and wiping her mouth, Evangeline gave a nod at Rolan and he returned the nod. Rolan pushed out his chair and went over to Evangeline to help her out of her chair as well. Rolan put his hand in front of Evangeline, and she took it politely. Grasping his hand, Evangeline stepped behind Rolan and released her fingers. It didn't feel right to hold a guy's hand, especially Rolan's. Evangeline walked casually past Rolan and wanted to return to her room when she suddenly froze in her tracks. Rolan's hand was stretched out in Evangeline's direction. Evangeline's face had a look of terror on it; she knew Rolan was controlling her movements. Rolan walked to Evangeline's side and slipped his hands around her waist. "Don't you dare shun away from me, Evangeline... I've already taken a liking to you," He whispered in her ear and Evangeline flinched. She could feel his constant breathing on her neck, the warm air, and she couldn't do anything about it. Evangeline wasn't used to it, and it felt uncomfortable. Suddenly, Rolan released his grip on Evangeline - physically and magically. Evangeline stumbled forward, and clutched at her neck. She glared at Rolan, when out of the corner of her eyes she spotted something familiar - Senkrad's face.

Evangeline took a few steps back, shocked, and realised that it was just a poster, but a wanted poster. Revilis, Xino, Joshua and Dave's faces were there too. Evangeline tore the posters down from the wall and threw them in Rolan's direction, furious. "What's with this, Rolan? Explain yourself! You're the only one in the entire place who has enough power and authority to do this. Explain to me - why the wanted posters?!" Evangeline's voice echoed through the entire room. Rolan looked at her with his sapphire eyes and walked towards her. With every step that Rolan took, Evangeline moved two steps back. Rolan raised his hand, and Evangeline found her feet stuck to the ground, immobilised. "Shit," Evangeline cursed in her head, and found herself struggling to move, to no avail. Rolan took a few steps and was directly ahead of Evangeline. They were less that a metre away from each other. Evangeline looked up and found Rolan leaning forward, cupping her chin and putting his lips to hers. Evangeline blinked in surprise. 


	15. Chapter 15: Caught

Evangeline struggled to push Rolan away but she couldn't move an inch. Rolan's lips were still on hers and Evangeline was disgusted. A few moments later, the grip on Evangeline was released and she pushed herself away from Rolan, desperately wiping her lips. Rolan gave a sly smile and walked past Evangeline. He stopped at the door of the ballroom. "Your friends are on my wanted list. I definitely do not want them destroying the peace and time that i have with you now," Rolan spoke, before exiting the room. Evangeline touched her fingers to her lips and felt a pang of guilt. The very first image that went through her mind was Senkrad. Evangeline dragged her feet back to her room to rest. In her head, she was worried about the others. But she couldn't do anything; not with Rolan around. Just then, Evangeline realised something - Rolan couldn't have seen EVERYONE's faces. He only saw Senkrad's face back then at the hills. Puzzled, Evangeline knew she had to question him when she saw Rolan again. She simply had to.

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Senkrad and the others walked through the town's market, unaware of the curious stares of the townsfolk. The townspeople were staring at their strange attire. Xino noticed the eyes of the people on them and gave Senkrad a hard nudge. There was no response from him. Xino was about to give an even harder jab when Revilis stopped her, and gestured Xino to look ahead of her. Xino saw that the crowds of people in the market had parted and made way for the town's soldiers. The soldiers seemed to be heading in their direction. Xino's eyes were drawn to a wanted poster on the wall and saw her comrades' faces, including her own. She alerted Revilis and the others about it. "Aww damm," Xino cursed under her breath. Trouble brewed just before they could even rest. So the unnerving feeling in her heart was right after all. Xino grumbled and summoned her katana. Senkrad and the others had their weapons in their hands long before Xino and were all keeping their eyes on the large number of soldiers coming their way. "Get them!" One soldier in the front echoed, apparently their captain. The soldiers came stampeding towards the group with sharp weapons in their hands. Xino readied herself.

Dave jumped back and fired five arrows at once, three of which struck soldiers down instantly. Revilis drew his blade and dived straight at the soldiers while Xino stood at her spot, only slashing soldiers who tried to attack her. She rolled her eyes as she brought down the twelfth soldier who went her way. Xino had no inkling why they were being attacked by the soldiers of the town. She glanced at Senkrad's direction - he was charging through the hoard of soldiers, obvious that he was heading in the captain's direction. The captain could tell that he was under danger, and took out an orb from a bag tied around his waist. He faintly whispered something towards and gave a faint smile in Senkrad's direction. Joshua was somewhere behind Senkrad when he glanced over and saw the smile on the captain's face. It gave him a bad feeling.

"Senkrad! Be careful, there's something fishy going on with him!" Joshua shouted over to Senkrad, and Senkrad nodded in reply. Just then, the captain opened his palm and a black substance - the very same black substance that Senkrad saw that night - came flowing out, engulfing the captain and Senkrad himself. Xino saw the black substance exiting from the captain's hand and could vaguely guess how Evangeline was taken away. She jumped forward towards Senkrad's direction, hoping that she could get him free in time, when from beneath the ground, the black substance suddenly flew out and engulfed her as well. Xino let out a scream, but the rest couldn't do anything for they were already fully swallowed by the mysterious black liquid. Xino's surroundings went black.

When Xino opened her eyes, she sprung up. She hastily looked around her, and gave a sigh of relief to find the others near her as well. They were still unconscious. Xino struggled to her feet and examined her surroundings. It seemed like they were in a dungeon, and jailed. The lock at the door had a magic guard and it couldn't be broken. There was no way out. A rustle came from behind her and Xino turned around. Senkrad was awake. He shook his head slightly, trying to get rid of the groggy feeling that he had. His eyes rested on Xino, who was up and about. Xino sat down a distance away from Senkrad, slightly exhuasted at scrutinising the jail cell for an escape route. "You feeling better, Senkrad?" Xino asked, facing the door. Senkrad answered with a nod. He stood up and went over to the lock. Xino shook her head. "It has a magical guard. We can't break it physically nor magically." Hearing that, Senkrad slumped on the ground, deciding not to waste his remaining energy. Suddenly, Dave sat up with his eyes wide open. "I can feel the presence of Evangeline nearby... She was here in this place before. She's somewhere within this building now," he said, calmly.

"Really?! She was here before?! You mean to say Evangeline's in the same building as us?" Senkrad hurried over to Dave's side and questions cam flooding out of his mouth. Dave nodded. "Strangely, I can feel the presences of people. If they were once in a place, i can feel it. If they're nearby, i can feel it as well," he admitted. Senkrad was pleased to know that Evangeline was close to him. He laid down on the cold, hard ground and smiled to himself. Evangeline was safe. Slowly, Joshua and Revilis were soon conscious and back to their normal, alert selves. Just then, footsteps could be heard walking down the silent corridor. All six of them in the jail cell turned and faced the door. Someone was coming.

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Evangeline changed into a more comfortable piece of clothing - her school uniform. It was clean, thanks to Risallez. She slipped it on and exited her room. Shutting the door silently, Evangeline went down the stairs, keeping as quiet as possible. Just then, near a room, she heard voices talking. Evangeline placed her hand over her mouth and moved a little closer, attempting to listen to the conversation. "I'm going to take a look at our dear prisoners... So Risallez, you had better look after Miss Evangeline and make sure that she doesn't leave her room," a voice was heard saying - which should be Rolan. The other person there must be Risallez. Evangeline froze.

"Prisoners?" she muttered to herself. The only prisoners that Rolan would be interested in could only be Senkrad and the others. Evangeline heard footsteps getting closer to her and guessed that it must be Risallez, sent to "look after" her. Evangeline stood there and took a risk, waiting; sure enough, the one who was approaching Evangeline's room was Risallez. "Ah... Miss Evangeline, you shouldn't be wandering around," Risallez stammered and look at her feet. Evangeline gave a frown. "Risa, where did Rolan go?" Risallez looked back up at Evangeline hastily, stunned that she would ask such a question. "... He... Er..." Risallez hesitated to speak. "Risa. My friends might be in trouble, and i need to rescue them. I need to! Tell me Risa," Evangeline told Risallez, and grabbed her by her shoulders, staring into her eyes. Risallez looked away. "Lord Rolan... He was headed towards the dungeons. The one that you were first kept in." Saying that, Risallez dashed off. Evangeline mumbled a thanks before hurriedly moving down the stairs and towards the dungeons. 


End file.
